Love fighting hate violence

Love Fighting Hate Violence (LFHV) is a project aimed at understanding the symbolic cultural differences between martial arts/combat sport-based fighting practices, and violence. Drawing on academic theory and insider perspectives to articulate apparently paradoxical formations of knowledge, LFHV is intended to provide the basis for critical, research-informed interventions into martial arts and combat sports practices. Specifically, the project aims to identify and propagate methods for anti-violence teaching and advocacy within martial arts and combat sports spaces.

Project timeframe

This project began in September 2016 and is ongoing.

Project aims

This project aims to:

inspire and influence debate among practitioner communities as to the potential for anti-violence pedagogy within martial arts and combat sports
identify the myriad ways of understanding, articulating and teaching non-violence within martial arts and combat sports
advocate anti-violence methodologies for coaching and instruction.

Project findings and impact

We launched a website and social media platforms for the campaign in late 2016, and these have been successful in attracting interest from a number of practitioners and other academics from various parts of the world. Several blog posts and a manifesto have been published on the website, helping to disseminate the core ideals of LFHV, while we have also begun selling branded t-shirts which have proven popular with many martial arts and combat sports practitioners. The manifesto has to date been translated into five different languages.

The more substantive work of the campaign is currently under development. Specifically, we are working with numerous partners to help develop a coaching toolkit that will outline practical ways to put the LFHV message into practice. Our medium-term goal is to finish a generic toolkit that will have relevance for instructors teaching a range of martial arts/combat sports disciplines, modelled on a values-based teaching approach and with the ambition of using these practices to teach young people about ethical principles such as consent and respect.

Our longer-term goals are to continue to develop a wide network of partnerships and collaborations, working towards an implementation of the LFHV toolkit and an evaluation study of its effectiveness.

In May 2017, University of 91快活林 and Eastbourne Boxing Club will join forces to promote boxing to members of the LGBTQI+ community to research best practice.

Research team

Dr Christopher R. Matthews

Output

Publications

Love Fighting Hate Violence (2016).

Matthews, C.R. and Channon, A. (2016) Understanding sports violence: Revisiting foundational explorations. Sport in Society, Online First, doi: 10.1080/17430437.2016.1179735

Channon, A. (2013) ‘Do you hit girls?’ Some striking moments in the career of a male martial artist. In R. Sánchez García and D.C. Spencer (eds.) Fighting Scholars: Habitus and Ethnographies of Martial Arts and Combat Sports, London: Anthem, pp.95-110.

Conference presentations and invited talks

Channon, A. and Matthews, C.R. (2016) Love fighting hate violence: What is LFHV? Martial Arts Studies: Gender Issues in Theory and Practice, University of 91快活林, 5 February.

Matthews, C.R. (2016) Love fighting hate violence: Social justice, gender, consent and activism through sport. Invited talk at the University of Gothenburg, 1 September.

Partners